Plain bearing



Jan. 1, 1935.

LG. BUHLER PLAIN BEARING Fil ed April 20, 1952 Q Blih lev- INVQN 5Sheets-Sheet 1 Jan. 1, 1935. v v G. BUHLER 1,986,040

PLAIN BEARING v Filed April 20, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 High/er" INVeNWQJan. 1, was.- ,G. BUHLER 1,986,040

" PLAIN BEARING Filed April 20, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Jan. 11935 -uulrsb srAr 7 ruins assume Georg Biihien'Vienna. AustriaApplication April 20, 7 In Germany 1 Claim.

Ky invention relates to plain bearings, i. e. bearings withoutantiiriction members such as balls or rollers.

It is an object of my invention to provide a plain hearing as asubstitute for antiiriction bearings.

Such substitution is desirable particularly in' cases in whichthe'inevitable noise'o! antiiriction bearings must be avoided.

Plain bearings as designed heretofore could not be used assubstitutesior antiiriction bearings because they could not be made as small asantiiriction bearings oi the same capacity, and so the antiirictionhearing was superior wherever size is the determining iactor. Thisinferiority of plain bearings, however, exists no longer as recentlyalloys, and particularly bronze s, have been prepared which stand sohigh a load per unit of area that they permit reducing the size,andparticularly the length, of plain hearings to that of 'antifrictionbearings. Such an alloy is disclosed in my copending application, Ser.No. 621,299.

It is the principal object of my invention to provide a plain bearingwhich is not larger than an antiiriction bearing of equal capacity.

To this end I provide, in, combination with a journal, annular membersarranged co-axially with respect to the journal in such manner that theMerail size of the plain bearing is equal to that 'of an antiirictio'nbearing of equal capacity.

The equality of size not only as to length but alsoas to the otherdimensions or the plain bearing according to my invention, permitsemploying my plain bearings where antitriction bearings had already beenbuilt in.

It is another object of my invention to provide a particularly simpleand reliable lubrication which requires no attention, the same as .inthe antifriction bearings 01' the usual type.

To this end, I provide an annular oil pad on one of the annularco-axially arranged members. Oil is admitted to the journal through arecess in the co-axial member, or members, which is, or are, interposedbetween the pad and the journal.

It is another object of, my invention to enact a circulation of the oilfrom the bearing and back to the bearing. To this end, I provide an oilwell and so arrange the pad that it returns to the bearing the oil fromthe well. For instance, the

To this end, I design my plain bearing asv a self-contained unit which,like the existing antiiriction bearings, is adapted to be built into a1932;8erial No. 606,439

Lusam suitable'body smile like. The oo-ai'rial annular members of mybearings correspond to the'races, and the pad corresponds to the ballsor rollers, of an antii'riction bearing. V

' It is another object of my invention to so design my plain bearingthat it may yield to the deflections oi the journal from the straightaxial position under bendingstress.

To this end, I equip not less, than two oi the annular members withinterensagins spherical laces so that they are free to turn with respectto each other so that local pressure at the edges is avoided which mightoccur it the bearing had exclusively parallel laces.

In the accompanying drawings, three types of plain bearings embodying myinvention are illustrated by wayoi example.

In the drawings Rig. 1 is an axial section, and I Fig. 2 is a section onthe line II-II in Fig. 1,

of, the first type, with parallel interengaging and parts of differentdensity.

Referring now to the drawings, 16 is the body of the bearins, 33 is anoil well inthe body, 10 is the Journal, and 11 is a bush, preferably 01"hardened steel, on the journal 10. 12 isa shoulder against which theinner end of the bush is abutted, 13 is a sleeve in which the bush 11 ismountedto rotate, 14 is a pad holder on the sleeve, and 15 is an annularpad on the holder. The bush 11, the sleeve 13 and the pad holder 14 areall arranged co-axially with respect to each other and to the Journal10, and the bearing is of the same overall size as an antiirictionbearing of equal capacity. As mentioned, the'small size, andparticularly the shortness of the hearing, are obtained by making thesleeve 13 0! very v une vr-vrmri 5, of the third type, with an oil padincluding two high-class material, such as drawn phosphor bronze.

may be built in as such insteadot an antii'riction bearing. Y

In the types illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 5, 6, the pad holder 14 is achannel section, and in Figs. 1, 2 it is placed on the sleeve 13 withits webywhil in 5, 8 it is placed on the sleeve with one of its flanges.

The plain bearing is a self-contained unit and v In Figs. 1, 2, theflanges of the pad holder engage the pad with their sides while withtheir edges they bear on the body 18, transmitting radial pressure toit. The body 16 may be designed as desired, provided it has room forbuilding in the plain bearing.

The sleeve 13 and the pad holder 14 are cut away down to the bush 11 at17, Fig. 2, and 18 is a spring, with a perforated washer 28. whichexerts radial pressure on the pad 15, forcing it into the cut-awayportion 17. The spring 18 is inserted in a bore ofthe body 18 andisequipped with a threaded plug 22 for regulating its pressure. The plugis here equipped with a check .rows in Fig. 1.

valve 29 and a spring 30 for filling the bearing with oil. The oil isabsorbed by the pad 15 by capillarity. Preferably the pad is made offelt or similar material so that conveying it.

The oil is applied to the bush 11 by the pad 15, distributed over. thebush 11 and allowed to trickle down into the oil well 33, as indicatedby the ar- The outer wall of the well 33 is a flange on the bearingbody-.16, and its outer wall is a cap or disc 20. 21 are ports at thelower side of the flanges of the pad holder 14. The oil from the well 33flows to the pad 15 through the ports, and in this manner the oil iscirculated and filtered by the pad 15.

Referring now to Figs. 3nd 4, the body 16 is omitted here. The outerfaceof sleeve 13 is spherical and convex, and the inner face of the padholder 14 is concave to fit it. By these means the bearing may adaptitself to the deflections of the iournal 10. Preferably, the two partsare spherical throughout their length.

In this type, the pad holder 14 is divided at J right angles to theaxis'of the bearing, and its members are channel sections making uptogether a rectangular-sectional annular chamber. This has theadvantages that'the pad 15 (here shown as built up from wicks) is betterprotected and that the area on which the pad holder engages the block orbody of the bearing, becomes larger, reducing the pressure per unit ofarea and permitting higher loads to be carried. The buildingin of theself-contained bearing unit is facilitated hook or the like.

it filters the oil'while.

1,ose,oso

as falling out of the pad 15 is prevented by housing it in the chamber.

Oil from the well 33 is admitted to the chamber through holes 21. thepad holder and the sleeve 11 are cut away at two diametrally oppositepoints and plugs 23 of felt or other porous material are inserted in thecut-away portions. Two cut-away portions are provided because one ofthem must be relieved of the load on the bearing but obviously more thantwo may be provided. The oil is circulated as described. The wicksmaking up the pad 15 are threaded into the chamber of the pad holder. 14by means of a wire However, the pad may also be inserted in one half ofthe pad holder 14 whereupon the holder is assembled.-

In the present instance,

e two parts of the pad holder may be perm ently or detachably connected,for instance,

by welding, or the two parts of the pad holder may be a single casting.

I claim:

In a bearing, the combination bf a housing with a shaft extendingtherethrough, said housing including an oil well in its lower part.asleeve of hard steel fixed on the shaft within the housing, a bushingof bearing metal in which is .iournaled the sleeve, a bearing box seatedin the housing and in which is held the bushing ofbearing material, saidbearing box having-an annular recess extending around its periphery withports providing communications between the lower part of the annularrecess and the'oil well in the lower part of the housing, said bearingbox and said bushing having alinedpassages in their upper parts leadingfrom the annular recess to the bearing surfaces of the'ilxed sleeve, apad of absorbing material enclosed in the annular recess of the bearingbox to convey the oil entering the recess through the ports to the upperpart of said recess. and means for pressing said pad through saidpassages onto the fixed sleeve to lubricate

